This year, the Fourth of July fell on Wednesday. I needed to work that day, but on Friday, I got the opportunity to begin a three-day weekend. My wife couldn’t join me, but she encouraged me to leave and have fun. She didn’t have to say it twice! I couldn’t get to the ocean fast enough. I hitched up the boat and drove to the marina at Dana Point, to head into the ocean and look for whales and dolphins. Later, after a great dinner, I spent a pleasant night aboard.

That same weekend, Southern Californians experienced a 100-plus-degree heat wave. Apparently, a lot of other boaters also decided to get out on the cool Pacific. Five miles offshore, with unlimited visibility and Catalina Island 18 miles away on the horizon, I actually decided to switch on my boat’s radar because there was so much boat traffic on the Pacific Ocean.

This circumstance got me thinking about my need for radar, and zoo and aquarium management. Radar displays an electronic picture of solid things in the vicinity of your vessel. It also paints a picture for how close the objects are. If the object is moving, radar displays its course and provides a proximity warning to help prevent collisions at sea.

Here is your Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) accreditation proximity warning from our Academy “radar.” (Pretty clever, huh?) With AZA’s institutional accreditation cycle every five years, right now it is a safe bet that at least a third of you reading this—including those of us here in San Diego—are anticipating your next accreditation inspection. Summer is busy, in our business. Many of us have just finished a major construction project or are beginning to plan for next year’s new exhibits. Attendance is up, hiring is up, and like the increase in hours of daily sunshine, your work days are longer, too.

In this busy environment, you need radar to tell you where solid objects are, how fast they may be moving, and if (or when) their course will intersect with yours. With that information, you can do a more informed job of steering your own vessel. It is not too soon to start thinking about assigning staff, at opportune times during the year, to take the Zoonotic Disease Prevention and Biosecurity training courses through the Academy. Also highly recommended is the Animal Welfare Professional course for staff members who are animal care professionals, and the Animal Welfare General course for others at zoos or aquariums. Animal welfare is a focus for our industry, and this online training is available for your staff, too. The other Academy animal care training courses will help round out your training opportunities prior to accreditation. This should help you continue to enjoy your journey as much as I did mine last weekend. To see our animal care training courses, visit the Academy’s course page here.

Academy News

San Diego Zoo Global Academy Puts the Aquarium of Niagara in the Spotlight
The Aquarium of Niagara in Niagara Falls, New York is part of the Academy’s collaborative learning environment!

National Marine Educators Association Spotlights San Diego Zoo Global AcademySan Diego Zoo Global Academy has been invited to present a session on blended and online learning at the National Marine Educators Association’s (NMEA) national conference this summer in Long Beach, California. The session, titled “Full Steam Ahead: World-class Training at Your Fingertips,” shares the experience of how San Diego Zoo Global integrated online training into the current Academy program to overcome one of the major challenges of training: getting all participants together in one place, at one time. The program structure makes it easy for individuals to learn at their own rate and provides the freedom to train anywhere, at any time

NMEA is an influential, member-based organization of classroom teachers, informal educators, university professors, scientists, and more from around the world, working together to advance the understanding and protection of freshwater and marine ecosystems. From scientists working in the deep sea to students studying underwater archeology in the Great Lakes, NMEA members are dedicated to “making known the world of water,” both fresh and salt. NMEA educates and inspires people to understand and value their relationship with the ocean and all watersheds, providing access to the best available science and educational practices and resources. The organization links members to other professional organizations, enabling the sharing of ideas, resources, and progress.

The annual NMEA Conference will be held July 17 through 21 aboard the Queen Mary in Long Beach. The conference theme is “Charting a Course for Conservation.”

Administrator’s Users Group Webinar
Please join us for the Administrator’s Users Group Webinar, hosted by Academy partner CypherWorx. The next webinar is Wednesday, July 18, at 11 a.m. Pacific Daylight Time (PDT).

Every summer for the last 19 years, The Goodman Center has recommended books especially for people in the “changing-the-world” business (including nonprofits, foundations, government agencies, and more). Normally, we review books published in the current year that can help you communicate more effectively. But this year, we thought we’d try something a little different: we’ve compiled a list of five foundational texts that we believe are absolute must-reads. As you’ll see, our recommendations include books originally published as many as 50 years ago, but they have stood the test of time and, more importantly, they provide guidance that can help you right now.

I am delighted to announce that The Aquarium Vet is about to release the first penguin module of the e-quarist course. While penguin-oriented, this module is suitable for all aquatic bird displays, and covers Taxonomy, Anatomy and Physiology, Penguin Display Design, Water Quality for Aquatic Birds, and Life Support Systems for Aquatic Birds. Over the next year or so, another two modules will follow to complete the penguin series.

E-quarist™ Courses—Academy Subscriber Special!

The San Diego Zoo Global Academy is excited to share an additional Academy subscriber benefit regarding our collaboration with The Aquarium Vet: as an Academy subscriber, you are now entitled to a discount on the e-quarist™ courses. We are also happy to offer one of our free monthly webinars.

For more information about the SDZGA discount, or anything about the e-quarist™ course, including next month's free webinar, please contactkatrina@theaquariumvet.com.